Liberty University
6-5, 2-0ASUN
Coastal Carolina
7-4, 1-1ASUN
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| Coastal Carolina | 1 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 14 |
Liberty Continues Strong Start to ASUN Play With 17-14 Road Win at Coastal Carolina
4/6/2023 4:47:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Lady Flames continued their hot start in ASUN play by topping Coastal Carolina 17-14, Thursday afternoon.
Liberty improves to 6-5 and 2-0 in conference play. Coastal Carolina falls to 7-4 and 1-1 in the ASUN. Thursday's match was held at Brooks Stadium.
The Lady Flames used a 12-goal first half to give them the lead they needed to hold on for their second straight ASUN. Liberty is 2-0 in ASUN play for the fourth straight season.
Cami Merkel led Liberty in scoring, matching a career high with five goals in the contest, followed by Mackenzie Lehman with a hat trick of her own. This is Merkel's second career five-goal game, with her other coming against Old Dominion during her freshman campaign (March 2, 2022).
Liberty goalkeeper Taylor Gallarello improved to 5-0 in cage with the victory.
The Lady Flames improve to 8-3 all-time facing the Chanticleers. Liberty is also on a four-game winning streak, getting above .500 (6-5) for the first time in 2023.
Scoring Summary
Liberty Goals: Cami Merkel 5, Mackenzie Lehman 3, Kelly Scott 2, Lizzy Ferguson 2, Andrea Colavito 1, Olivia Glaze 1, Tori Banks 1, Jordan Sheive 1, Team 1 (Own Goal from Coastal Carolina)
Liberty Assists: Olivia Glaze 1, Grace Loughery 1, Kelly Scott 1, Katie Colavito 1
Coastal Carolina Goals: Sydney McClure 4, Kayla Downey 4, Monica Manley 2, Brigid Cardillo 1, Maddie Bates 1, Abi George 1, Avery McIlwaine 1
Coastal Carolina Assists: Avery Snyder 4, Avery McIlwaine 2, Kayla Downey 2, Brigid Cardillo 1
 Goalkeepers
W: Taylor Gallarello 5-0, four saves
L: Claire Martell 7-4, two saves
Turning Point
The Flames scored seven straight goals in the first quarter, with Lizzy Ferguson supplying two goals and five other players finding the back of the cage for an 8-1 advantage through 15 minutes. Coastal Carolina narrowed the deficit to four at the half, 12-8, and got as close as three, 16-13, with 2:27 left but could not pull off the comeback.
First Half Summary
• Liberty got the first goal of the match from Jordan Sheive, but the Chanticleers responded with a goal of their own from Sydney McClure.
• The Lady Flames scored seven straight goals to end the first with an 8-1 lead.
• Coastal Carolina closed the gap in the second with the benefit of four straight goals to end the half in the final two minutes. The hosts trailed 12-8 at the break.
Second Half Summary
• In a flip from the first half, the second half was more defensively focused. The Lady Flames managed only five total goals in the second half, while holding Coastal Carolina to just six. The two teams combined for only three goals in the third quarter.
• Cami Merkel added two of her five goals in the second half, including the final two Liberty goals at the 4:02 and 0:29 marks to give the squad the cushion it needed.
• Liberty took advantage of free-position shots in the fourth quarter by going 3-of-3 on free position attempts and finishing 4-o-4 for the game.
• The Chanticleers had three players each with two goals in the second half – Kayla Downey, Sydney McClure and Monica Manley.
Key Stats & Notes
• Lizzy Ferguson once again dominated in the draw circle, winning 12 in the contest compared to Coastal Carolina's 14 total (Liberty had 19 total). Ferguson's seventh draw control of the day, coming in the second quarter, was her 200th career draw control. She now has 205 career draw controls and is one of only three players in school history with 200 or more draws. Ferguson also tallied two goals and two ground balls.
• Grace Loughery matched a season high with five ground balls Thursday, doubling her average of 2.50 per game that has her at second in the conference. Loughery added an assist, a shot, a caused turnover and a ground ball in the game.
• Fresh off being named ASUN Defensive Player of the Week, Taylor Gallarello picked up her fifth straight win and has yet to lose a game in net as a member of the Lady Flames. Gallarello notched four saves in the contest, giving her 40 for the season.
• Mackenzie Lehman added onto her team-leading mark in goals, now with 24 through 11 games. Lehman also added four draw controls and a ground ball.
• As a unit, Liberty generated eight caused turnovers, with Olivia Glaze and Andrea Colavito each forcing two.
• The Lady Flames outshot the Chanticleers 35-28 in the game, highlighted by 20 shots (16 on goal) in the first half.
• Ground balls in the contest were mostly even, with Liberty grabbing 18 to Coastal Carolina's 17.
Up Next
• Liberty travels to Charlotte, N.C., for a road game against Queens (6-4, 1-0 ASUN), Saturday afternoon. First draw is scheduled for 12 p.m. from the Queens Sports Complex.
• This will be the first meeting between the two universities in women's lacrosse. Queens joined the ASUN Conference prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year.
Main Photo at Top of Story: No. 24 Tori Banks
